Author: Debra McClure

Governor Brian Kemp Signs Anti-Human Trafficking Legislation

Debra McClure
Brian Kemp Signing Legislation

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed multiple anti-human trafficking bills into law on Wednesday to hold both “traffickers and buyers” accountable.

“For years Georgia was considered a hot spot for human trafficking,” said Governor Kemp in a press release on Wednesday, “but thanks to the GRACE Commission, under the leadership of First Lady Marty Kemp, we have established Georgia as a national leader in this fight by passing legislation that cracks down on both traffickers and buyers while also, and even more importantly, empowering survivors.”

Read the full story

Fulton County Sheriff Candidates Point to More Guards, Better Housing Needed to Stop Wave of Prison Inmate Deaths

Debra McClure
Fulton County Sheriff Candidates

Candidates running for Fulton County Sheriff told voters at an ACLU of Georgia “Know Your Sheriff” town hall event on Tuesday they plan to improve prison conditions through a combination of additional staff, increased scrutiny of incoming inmates, and upgraded housing. Suggestions come in the wake of a slew of deaths in the county’s prison system.

As part of the event, candidates completed a questionnaire to inform voters about their position on issues. One question asked, “Since 2022, over 20 people have died in the custody of the Fulton County Sheriff’s department. What plans do you have to improve the safety of the Fulton County Jail?”

Read the full story

Arizona U.S. Rep Gosar Calls Out Democrats’ Unanimous Votes on House Oversight Committee Opposing Census Citizenship Question

Debra McClure
Paul Gosar

In his “This Week with Gosar” newsletter Monday, U.S. Representative Paul Gosar (R-AZ-09) said that during a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing, every Democrat voted against H.R. 7109, the Equal Representation Act, which would add a citizenship question to the decennial census. An amended version of the legislation passed the committee vote (22-20) and awaits further action on the House floor.

Gosar, who serves on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, stated that the new question on the decennial census would ask, “Are you a citizen? YES or NO.”

Read the full story

Georgia U.S. Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene Blasts DHS Secretary Mayorkas: Probably the Best Business Partner Cartels Could Ever Have

Debra McClure
MTG hearing

U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA-14), a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, told Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas that he was “probably the best business partner” cartels “could ever have” in a hearing on Tuesday.

“Mr. Secretary…you’ve allowed the cartels to make billions and billions. As a matter of fact, you’re probably the best business partner they could ever have,” she said, and added, “They make all this money in human trafficking and drug trafficking at our border. You’ve allowed approximately 300 Americans to be murdered every single day from fentanyl that comes across our border….”

Read the full story

Cobb County School District Superintendent Chris Ragsdale Announces Removal of Inappropriate Books from Media Centers

Debra McClure
Chris Ragsdale

Cobb County School District (CCSD) Superintendent Chris Ragsdale announced the removal of four books containing “lewd, “vulgar,” and “sexually explicit” content from school media centers in a Board of Education meeting Thursday night.

“Tonight, I am announcing that four additional books are being removed after having gone through our very thorough district process: ‘It Ends with Us,’ ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower,’ ‘Lucky,’ and ‘Thirteen Reasons Why.’ The review found all four of these books to contain lewd, vulgar, and sexually explicit and graphic content inappropriate for a public school,” Superintendent Ragsdale said during the meeting.

Read the full story

Georgia House Republicans ‘Take Postmaster General DeJoy to Task’ for State’s ‘Mail Service Delivery Breakdowns’ in Joint Letter

Debra McClure
Louis Dejoy

Georgia House Republicans criticized Postmaster General Louis DeJoy of the United States Postal Service (USPS) for “mail service delivery breakdowns” in the Peach State, demanding answers in a joint letter on Monday.

A press release on Rep. Barry Loudermilk’s  (R-GA-11)website says that in the letter, Georgia lawmakers “take Postmaster General DeJoy to task and describe the many frustrations constituents are facing with the delays in delivery and receipt of their mail…” and want “answers to several questions regarding the mail service delivery breakdowns.”

Read the full story

Arizona State Senator Wendy Rogers Says Squatter Bill Has ‘Teeth’ and ‘Puts the Power Back in the People’s Hands’

Debra McClure
Wendy Rogers

State Senator Wendy Rogers (R-Flagstaff) said squatters are a “real problem” in Arizona and explained how her bill, SB 1129, returns power to homeowners. An amended version of the legislation passed in a House vote (39-19) recently and is awaiting further action since its return to the Senate.

“Squatters in homes in Arizona is becoming a real problem,” Rogers said.

Read the full story

Arizona U.S. Reps. Gosar, Biggs Call Out Biden Administration: Grand Canyon University Is Being Targeted Over Religious Views, Political Animus

Debra McClure
Biggs and Gosar GCU

U.S. Representatives Paul Gosar (R-AZ-09) and Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) are pushing back against the Biden administration’s record $37.7 million fine of Grand Canyon University (GCU), calling the Department of Education “weaponized” in its “targeted” attack of the Christian school.

The six-term congressman told The Arizona Sun Times, on Tuesday “GCU is being targeted for its religious views and for being the largest Christian university in the country. The Department of Education should recognize GCU’s lawful nonprofit status and stop the harassment.”

Read the full story

Arizona Rep. Kolodin Lauds Bill Defunding Anti-Semitic University Groups Calling for Genocide ‘Across the Finish Line’

Debra McClure
Alex Kolodin

Arizona State Representative Alexander Kolodin (R-Scottsdale) told The Arizona Sun Times that he was “gratified” Governor Katie Hobbs signed his bill, HB 2178, into law Wednesday, enabling students to defund university clubs and organizations calling for genocide.

On Thursday, Kolodin told The Sun Times, “This is something that conservative organizations like Turning Point and my good friend Austin Smith have been working on for a number of years and it is a privilege to be the one to finally get it across the finish line. And it is especially meaningful to me, as a Jew, that we could finally address the grave injustice of Jewish students being forced to fund calls for their own genocide.”

Read the full story

Arizona Representative John Gillette Calls Prosecution of Elderly Cattle Rancher a ‘Travesty of Justice’

Debra McClure
Arizona State Rep John Gillette, George Alan Kelly

Arizona State Representative John Gillette (R-Kingman) called the prosecution of an American cattle rancher accused of killing an illegal alien for trespassing on his property a ‘travesty of justice.’

Arizona rancher George Alan Kelly is on trial for reportedly shooting and killing an illegal alien from Mexico who trespassed on his property located near the border.

Read the full story

‘Operation Ghost Busted’ Drug Dealer Sentence Among Highest for Two Overdose Fatalities in Georgia

Debra McClure
Jon Dillon Screen

A Glynn County resident, sentenced to 20 years in federal prison as part of Operation Ghost Busted, pled guilty to trafficking the drugs responsible for two overdose fatalities.

32-year-old Jon Dillon Screen of Brunswick, Georgia, pled guilty to trafficking drugs, including the fentanyl that killed Screen’s girlfriend and a man from Brunswick.

Read the full story

Middle School Libraries Feature LGBTQ, Gender Ideology Books as Legislation to Allow Arizona Parents to Challenge ‘Inappropriate’ Selections Stalls

Debra McClure
Mohave Middle School SUSD

As legislators continue discussing ways to address questionable content in school libraries, books promoting LBGTQ and gender ideology are readily available to children as young as 11 years old in a Scottsdale Unified School District middle school.

“Mohave Middle School offers 11-year-olds a book that encourages irreversible medical transition,” and that the book targets “pre-teens” and “promotes the idea that a girl can change into a boy,” Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity said in a Twitter (X) post on Tuesday.

Read the full story

Scottsdale Parents Uncover Assignments, Classroom Materials Pushing Gender Ideology on Arizona’s Children

Debra McClure
High School students

Scottsdale parents have uncovered gender ideology propaganda used in the Scottsdale Unified School District.

Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity, a grassroots organization calling for transparency in education, has a “Parent Discoveries” page on its website, where it posts examples of gender ideology content parents have found in schools in the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD).

Read the full story

Georgia Association of Educators Pushes Woke Social Justice Activist Curriculum

Debra McClure
Students in Class

The Georgia Association of Educators is advancing far-left gender ideology, Critical Race Theory, and social justice activist curriculum for members of its organization.

The Georgia Association of Educators (GAE), an affiliate of the National Educators Association (NEA), promotes racial justice education materials from various sources, including those offered by NEA, whose organization claims that racism is “systemic” and “is so deeply rooted in our history, culture and institutions that there’s no escaping it.”

Read the full story

Georgia Senate Passes Bill Defending Women’s Sports

Debra McClure

The Georgia Senate passed a bill protecting women’s sports by 33 to 21 on Tuesday that would prevent biological males from unfairly competing in women’s and K-12 girls’ sports. The bill awaits transfer to the House for continued discussion.

HB 1104 seeks to safeguard “students from harm” and maintain “competitive fairness” in school sports by requiring athletes to compete in activities based on the gender listed on their birth certificate. The bill states that local schools may have “separate teams for members of each sex where selection for such teams is based upon competitive skill, competitive fairness,  student safety or the activity involved is a contact sport.”

Read the full story

Georgia Senate Passes Bill to Defund Sanctuary Cities

Debra McClure
Randy Robertson

A bill to strengthen immigration enforcement and accountability passed the Georgia Senate by a vote of 33-18 last Thursday. HB 301 would remove funding from sanctuary cities refusing to follow immigration laws within the state. The bill awaits transfer to the House for further consideration.

The measure aims to hold officials accountable and allow local “governing bodies” to lose eligibility for “certain state and federal funds” when “the prohibition on immigration sanctuary policies” is violated.

Read the full story

Scottsdale Parents Group Launch ‘American Pride’ Project in Response to Woke Literature in Public School Libraries

Debra McClure
School Library

Scottsdale Unites for Educational Integrity member Jill Dunican was interviewed on The Conservative Circus w/ James T. Harris podcast on Thursday, where she spoke about the organization’s American Pride Library initiative to donate “wholesome” and “patriotic” books to 29 schools in Arizona’s Scottsdale Unified School District.

Scottsdale Unites For Educational Integrity is a group of parents, teachers, administrators, and community members within the Scottsdale Unified School District who advocate for parental rights in education, curriculum transparency, and academic achievement. Jill Dunican is part of the organization’s parent-led launch of The American Pride Library project, which seeks to counter left-leaning ideologies by offering pro-American and age-appropriate books to its district libraries.

Read the full story

Parent Takes Legal Action to Preserve English as the Primary Language in Arizona Classrooms

Debra McClure
Creighton Elementary School District

A Phoenix-area parent filed a lawsuit against Creighton Elementary School District on March 19, 2024, for using a dual language program, accusing the district of violating a law that requires students learning English to be taught in English-only classrooms throughout the school day. The lawsuit was part of a broader effort to uphold English as the primary language used in Arizona classrooms.

According to the lawsuit, parent Patricia Pellett, whose “son is a student currently studying at Scottsdale High School,” is suing Creighton Elementary School District for allegedly violating Proposition 203, which Arizona voters approved “by margin of over 60 [percent]” in 2000. The lawsuit states that the “purpose of Proposition 203 was that children should no longer be taught in bilingual or dual language classes, where they are taught part of the day in Spanish. Instead, the purpose of Proposition 203 was that children should be taught the entire school day in English, so that they would quickly become proficient in English.”

Read the full story

Safeguarding Food and National Security, Georgia Advances Bill to Ban Foreign Adversaries from Purchasing Land

Debra McClure
Georgia Farmland Bill

A bill placing sharp limits on the foreign ownership of Georgia farmland passed the State House by a vote of 97-67 Thursday. SB 420 would restrict certain nonresidents and business entities from purchasing farmland or land near military bases in Georgia. The bill now goes back to the Stae Senate for further consideration.

The bill specifies that certain individuals and business entities from a country “designated as a foreign adversary by the United States” would not be permitted to acquire “agricultural land or land within a ten-mile radius of any military base, military installation, or military airport.”

Read the full story

Georgia’s Private Schools Promote Activist Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Resources

Debra McClure
Pace Academy

Some private Georgia schools continue to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion resources, featuring materials on white privilege, social justice, and racism that are made available to students, faculty, and parents.

Despite the recent backlash in Georgia public schools for using Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) content in classrooms, some private schools continue promoting books, articles, websites, workshops, and guest speakers in what many now call Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) programs.

Read the full story

Arizona Voters to Decide Life in Prison for Child Sex Traffickers in November as Ballot Referral Advances

Debra McClure
Arizona SCR 1021

SCR 1021, the proposed legislation that aims to give Arizona voters a chance to decide whether criminals who commit child sex trafficking should qualify for life in prison without being eligible for any chance of parole or release, passed in a House vote (31-27) on Monday.

SCR 1021 focuses on traffickers convicted of a class 2 felony and recently passed out of the Senate with the complete support of Republicans.

Read the full story

Arizona’s SB 1511 Seeks Insurance and Healthcare Coverage Equality for Children and Adults Who Detransition Back to Their Birth Gender

Debra McClure
Arizona State Senator Janae Shamp

SB 1511 would hold insurance companies and healthcare providers who offer gender transition coverage and procedures accountable for providing equal treatment for individuals who choose to detransition back to their birth gender after having had their gender medically altered.

SB 1511 states that those insurers who provided coverage for gender transition “may not deny coverage for gender detransition procedures.” The bill also requires physicians and healthcare institutions performing gender transition services to provide gender detransition procedures.

Read the full story

Maricopa Community Colleges District Library Provides Critical Race Theory Resources for Students

Debra McClure
People on Computers

The Maricopa Community Colleges District (MCCCD) library houses an online collection of Critical Race Theory articles, videos, and guiding questions about white privilege, social justice, and racism that are made available for community college students.

The materials are not labeled as Critical Race Theory (CRT) curriculum but as “Cultural Diversity Resources.” In a statement on the Arizona Department of Education’s website explaining Critical Race Theory, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said, “Critical Race Theory is real, no matter what it’s called.”

Read the full story

Georgia Representative Mike Cameron Supports New Legislation to Combat Illegal Immigration

Debra McClure
Mike Cameron

House Bill 1105, called “The Georgia Criminal Alien Track and Report Act of 2024,” is proposed legislation that aims to bolster public safety and security for Georgia communities through increased communication and information sharing by state and local officials and federal immigration agencies.

State Representative Mike Cameron (R-Rossville) expressed his support for HB 1105 in a press release on Friday, stating he “was proud to cast a ‘yes’ vote to support this important legislation to address illegal immigration” and that it was the responsibility of state legislatures “to protect the citizens we serve and enforce the rule of law in communities across the state so that senseless tragedies, like the murder of Laken Riley, won’t happen again under our watch.”

Read the full story

Georgia Parental Rights Bill Runs Out of Time to Stop School Teachers and Counselors from Discussing Gender Issues

Debra McClure

Georgia school teachers and counselors will continue to have free reign to talk to students about gender and gender identity issues without having to notify parents.

In a setback to supporters of parental rights, SB 88, also known as the Parents and Children Protection Act of 2023, missed the opportunity to advance legislation meant to restrict the ability of teachers and counselors to discuss gender issues without parental oversight.

Read the full story

Less than Half of Arizona School Districts and Charters Affirm They Teach Students About the Holocaust

Debra McClure

Only 322, or 43 percent, of the roughly 750 Arizona school districts and charters surveyed confirmed that they are teaching students about the Holocaust and other genocides.

The completed survey, due to the Arizona Department of Education by January 24, 2024, asked schools to show evidence that students were receiving the required Holocaust education. “We surveyed districts and charters to find out if they are following the law, but more than half did not respond,” said Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne in a statement on Monday. He believes new legislation could help.

Read the full story

Georgia State Senators Propose New Legislation to Address Illegal Immigration

Debra McClure
Georgia Illegal Immigration Bill

State Senator Jason Anavitarte (R–Dallas), chairman of the Senate Majority Caucus, and State Senator Brian Strickland (R–McDonough), chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, proposed two new legislative initiatives that seek to change criminal procedures for individuals who illegally immigrate to Georgia. The new legislation aims to set strict bail hearing conditions and modify parole rules for illegal immigrants.

The first proposal would amend the Georgia Constitution to allow the Georgia General Assembly to ban parole or set specific parole limitations for illegal immigrants. The second piece of legislation is a bill that would define bail hearing conditions for illegal immigrants and for those considered to be removable or dismissible aliens charged with a felony punishable by up to a year or more in prison.

Read the full story

Bill to Protect Arizonans from Border Invasion Approved by State Legislature Awaits Governor Hobbs’ Signature

Debra McClure
Illegal Immigrants

The Arizona State Legislature has approved SB 1231, known as the Arizona Border Invasion Act.

Senate Republicans celebrated the Legislature’s passage of the bill meant to “protect Arizona citizens and communities from the crime and security threats associated with the current border invasion caused by the Biden Administration’s refusal to enforce immigration laws.”

Read the full story